Legacy of Ra Read online

  Legacy of Ra

  Blood of Ra Book Three

  M. Sasinowski

  Kingsmill Press

  Copyright © 2019 by Maciek Sasinowski.

  All rights reserved.

  Cover art by Igor Voloshin.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or disseminated in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  ISBN 978-1-7324467-5-5

  ISBN 978-1-7324467-4-8 (ebook)

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, except in the case of historical figures and events, which are used fictitiously.

  To my parents, Barbara and Ryszard.

  Thank you for your legacy.

  Contents

  Cast of Characters

  Part I

  1. Eighty kilometers north of the Arctic Circle

  2. Indonesia—four weeks earlier

  3. Eighty kilometers north of the Arctic Circle

  4. Indonesia

  5. Indonesia

  6. Indonesia

  Part II

  7. Eighty kilometers north of the Arctic Circle—six days later

  8. Indonesia

  9. Indonesia

  10. Nigeria

  11. Above the Atlantic Ocean

  12. The Valediction

  13. The Valediction

  14. Eighty kilometers north of the Arctic Circle

  Part III

  15. The Valediction

  16. Cairo, Egypt

  17. Saqqara, Egypt

  18. The Hall of Records

  19. Kasir El Aini Hospital, Cairo

  20. The Valediction

  21. The Hall of Records

  Epilogue

  Dawn Of Ra

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Social Media Links

  Cast of Characters

  Alyssa Morgan—Daughter of Horus and Anja. Moved to Cairo at age ten after her mother’s death. Raised by Kade Morgan, an archaeologist.

  * * *

  Bes—A reptilian Rathadi and first among the Council of Elders. Mentor to Dharr.

  * * *

  Claudia Tibaldi—Respected geologist and senior member of the Society, a group of ultra-rich individuals and followers of psychic Edgar Cayce.

  * * *

  Clay Obono—Technology whiz and bioinformatics intern at the World Health Organization (WHO). Best friend of Paul Matthews. Helped Alyssa and Paul by designing a VR apparatus to access Horus’s memories stored in the crystal recovered by Kade Morgan from the Hall of Records.

  * * *

  Dharr—A reptilian Rathadi. Commander in the Rathadi military. Led mission to rescue Alyssa and Tasha from Nephthys in the mountains of Nepal. Boyfriend of Tef.

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  George Renley IV—Eccentric British nobleman and wealthy collector of antiquities. Great-grandson of George Renley who, in 1913, discovered the entrance to the Hall of Records.

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  Heru-pa—Son of Horus, in line to receive Horus’s consciousness and become the next Horus.

  * * *

  Horus—Leader of the Rathadi. Reincarnated for millennia via transfer of consciousness. Grandson of Thoth, half-brother of Nephthys, and father of Alyssa.

  * * *

  Jawad—A canine Rathadi and twin brother to Vol. Mechanic and soldier in the Rathadi military. Participated in mission to rescue Alyssa and Tasha from Nephthys in the mountains of Nepal.

  * * *

  Kade Morgan—Maverick archaeologist who rediscovered the Hall of Records and recovered the crystal that contained Horus’s memories. Husband of Anja Morgan.

  * * *

  Kamal Khanna—Director of the Genetics Institute in Cairo, Egypt. Friend of Kade Morgan and Alyssa Morgan.

  * * *

  Maxwell Torin—Head of security of the Society megayacht, the Valediction.

  * * *

  Minister of Antiquities—Flamboyant Egyptian archaeologist and television personality.

  * * *

  Nel—A feline Rathadi. Medic and soldier in the Rathadi military. Participated in mission to rescue Alyssa and Tasha from Nephthys in the mountains of Nepal.

  * * *

  Nephthys—Born as a half-Rathadi to Horus’s mother. Leader of the Pureans, enemy of the Rathadi. Reincarnated for millennia via transfer of consciousness.

  * * *

  Paul Matthews—Student at Oxford University. Met Alyssa during his internship at the World Health Organization (WHO). Best friend of Clay Obono. Captured by Nephthys after her attack on the Rathadi home in Hong Kong.

  * * *

  Sia—A feline Rathadi. Member of the Council of Elders.

  * * *

  Tasha Renley (Mendeva)—Born in St. Petersburg, Russia. Rescued and adopted by Lord George Renley when she was nine. Former girlfriend of William Drake. Used by Nephthys to infect the Rathadi by carrying a virus inside her body into their Hong Kong home. Captured by Nephthys after her attack on the Rathadi home in Hong Kong.

  * * *

  Tef—A serpentine Rathadi. Pilot and soldier in the Rathadi military. Participated in mission to rescue Alyssa and Tasha from Nephthys in the mountains of Nepal. Girlfriend of Dharr.

  * * *

  Thoth—Grandfather of Horus. Scribe to the gods. Creator of the memory capture technology and the ancient bioweapon found in the Hall of Records.

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  Vol—A canine Rathadi and twin brother to Jawad. Pilot and soldier in the Rathadi military. Participated in mission to rescue Alyssa and Tasha from Nephthys in the mountains of Nepal.

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  Wen—A Rathadi boy. Befriended Alyssa when they met at the Rathadi home in Hong Kong.

  * * *

  William Drake (deceased)—For a brief time, the leader of the Society, a group of ultra-rich individuals and followers of psychic Edgar Cayce. Masterminded the plan to steal the memory crystal from the Hall of Records. Alter personality of Edward Wallace, former student of Kade Morgan.

  * * *

  Xander Hart—Inventor and friend of Lord George Renley.

  * * *

  Xin—An avian Rathadi. Member of the Council of Elders.

  Part 1

  DISCORD

  1 Eighty kilometers north of the Arctic Circle

  The frigid wind slipped through Alyssa’s thermal gear and bit into her skin. She drew the heated parka tighter around her and used a gloved hand to wipe the snow from her visor for the tenth time.

  Who knew doing surveillance was like being stuck in the armpit of some frost giant?

  She scanned the white expanse that stretched before her, then shifted her pupils down and blinked, activating the optics in her visor. The landscape zoomed in, and a square building rose out of the snow: their target.

  A soft chirp in her headset alerted her to movement in the perimeter. She switched her focus to the head-up display inside her helmet. Three red dots skimmed across the terrain map, converging on the square that represented the building in front of her.

  Her mouth twitched.

  The patrol is back. Earlier than anticipated.

  She shimmied deeper into the powder, the all-white chameleon suit blending into the snow, concealing her almost completely. Moments later, the throaty purr of snowmobile engines rang over the flat terrain.

  Three vehicles, each with a single rider, came to a stop in front of the building. The tall figures dismounted and removed their helmets, their dark skins in stark contrast to the white snow surrounding them. Two of them
slipped inside, the third pulled a knit cap over his shaved head and remained at the door.

  A hand squeezed her left shoulder. She turned. Dharr’s gaze beckoned from behind his visor, the thin black slits inside bright yellow irises gleaming with anticipation. Only four weeks ago, she had met the Rathadi for the first time when Dharr’s team rescued her and Tasha from Nephthys in the mountains of Nepal. Now, four weeks later, the same sense of awe filled her every time she peered into his reptilian eyes, set deep inside the scaly skin of his face.

  Four weeks without Paul and Tasha…

  “Three more than we had anticipated,” Dharr’s voice rang in her headset, snapping her back into the present.

  “Wh-What?” Alyssa stammered.

  Dharr blinked. “Three more Purean soldiers,” he said.

  She drew in a sharp breath. Stay focused, she scolded herself.

  A week ago, they had received information that Nephthys might be holding Paul and Tasha in this abandoned facility. After spending a week double- and triple-checking the reports and preparing this mission—and an additional two days staking out the building in the bitter cold—her focus had begun to wane.

  “Perhaps we should wait…” Dharr started.

  We are not turning back without Paul and Tasha.

  “We may not get a second chance,” she said. “More than half of the Pureans are still out, not due back for another hour.”

  Dharr met her gaze for several moments. “Very well,” he said. “We proceed as planned.” He shifted to his mic. “Vol?”

  “In position and ready,” Vol’s voice was stern and razor-sharp, replacing the usual jovial tone he shared with his twin brother, Jawad.

  Dharr glanced over his shoulder. Behind him, Tef and Nel, the two Rathadi females, lifted their left hands in unison, their thumbs and forefingers in a circle.

  “We’re go in fifteen seconds,” Dharr said.

  A countdown clock appeared in Alyssa’s head-up display. She turned to their target as the numbers ticked down.

  0:05

  She zoomed in again, focusing on the Purean sentry.

  0:02

  0:01

  The sentry collapsed to the snow. Alyssa leaped up and broke into a sprint, with Dharr beside her and Nel and Tef bringing up the rear. The powerful, steady breaths of the Rathadi echoed in Alyssa’s headset as her feet pounded the soft snow. They slowed when they approached the Purean lying face down on the ground, a red stain spreading in the snow beneath his head.

  Dharr reached inside the Purean’s uniform and pulled out a keycard. He swiped it at the door, and the latch released. He cracked it open and rolled a dozen marble-sized balls into the building. A second later the balls whirred to life and lifted off the ground. They rose until they hovered just below the ceiling, then fanned out along the corridor leading deeper into the compound. Alyssa’s map of the exterior of the building switched to a three-dimensional projection of the inside. The image evolved into a complex of corridors and rooms as the miniature drones mapped out the passages and transmitted the data to her helmet.

  A few seconds later, two blue dots materialized in what appeared to be two separate, small rooms, several corridors into the building.

  “The drones picked up a trace,” Dharr said. “Their heat signatures are consistent with humans. One female, one male.”

  Alyssa shivered. Not from the cold, but from the anxiety that curled up like a creature inside her stomach.

  Tasha.

  Paul.

  Timing was everything, and they would have to move fast if they wanted the rescue to succeed.

  Dharr signaled to Tef and Nel. “Get Tasha.” The women acknowledged, and they slipped inside the building. “You and I are on Paul,” he said to Alyssa.

  She paused at the door, surveying the space. An empty corridor with gray, drab walls stretched out in front of her. As Alyssa took in her surroundings, the view in her helmet was augmented by transparent arrows, leading her to one of the rooms. She and Dharr moved along, keeping low in a crouched position, hugging the walls to their left and right for cover.

  They reeled to a stop when the head-up display showed two red dots approaching, crossing their path ahead from the right-hand passageway. They backed up and squeezed into a small alcove. Alyssa pressed her back against the wall and waited, keeping her eyes locked on the junction of the two passageways in front of them.

  Dharr lifted his weapon as the guards neared the crossing. The sound of footsteps grew louder. Alyssa held her breath—then exhaled as the guards continued moving straight, away from them. She remained motionless and followed the dots in her display until the guards moved into a parallel hallway.

  They left the alcove and continued along the corridor, turning right, then left into a narrow passageway. Alyssa’s heart hammered against her chest when they stopped in front of a heavy metal door.

  She pushed down on the handle.

  Locked.

  Dharr reached into his thigh pocket and took out a small transparent square. He kneaded it in his gloved hand for several moments and flattened it against the lock. A few seconds later a sizzling sound followed by a wisp of smoke emanated from the metal behind the material. Dharr pressed the handle, and the door swung open.

  Alyssa glanced inside. She reeled at the sight before her. A prisoner lay on the floor of the cramped cell, facing the wall, his clothes disheveled and soiled. He slowly rolled over.

  Paul? Alyssa fought against the burning liquid rising in the back of her throat.

  His skin was ashen and his cheeks hollow. Dark circles rimmed his eyes, and a scraggly beard covered his features. Alyssa’s gaze moved down to his right arm—

  Her mind refused to accept the image in front of her. Paul’s right arm came to a stump below his elbow, the wound covered by a filthy, blood-stained bandage.

  Alyssa’s hands trembled as she slipped off her helmet. She gagged at the smell of blood and human waste that invaded her nostrils.

  “Paul?” she whispered, her voice almost failing her.

  He looked up at her with an empty expression.

  Alyssa took a steeling breath and entered the cell. “Paul, it’s me. It’s—”

  The sound of a wounded animal ripped out of Paul’s throat an instant before he leaped to his feet and charged her, his eyes gleaming wildly.

  2 Indonesia—four weeks earlier

  The screaming of the men echoes into the moonless night. Their clawed hands rake at their twisted shapes. I cannot bear to watch and turn away. My grandfather pulls me to him and holds me tight. I look up, seeking solace in the coarseness of his robe against my cheek and the familiar furrows of his ancient face.

  His features change, they become softer, younger. The gaze shelters me. Warmth washes over me as the terror ebbs. Incomplete, the face transforms again.

  No… don’t leave…

  Bitter cold floods me once again, culled from the night sky with its stars as hard as diamonds.

  Another face, strong and sculpted. The yellow iris in his single eye reflects thousands of distant pinpoints of light.

  Cold metal presses against my palm and weighs down my right hand. I lift my arm. I blink at the sight of the weapon I hold. I point at the figure and squeeze the trigger.

  He reels from the impact. His features twist into a mask of rage, and his glare burns into my skin, scorching me down to my soul. He roars and charges.

  Pure terror surges through my veins. I draw back. My foot meets empty air. The darkness swallows me as I fall, a silent scream seared into my lips—

  Alyssa lurched as the floor dropped from beneath her feet. Her hands reached out and gained purchase, barely keeping her upright. She took a wavering breath and shook her head, trying to clear the fog. Gradually, the walls of the cramped medical bay in the Rathadi jet came into focus, and memories fell into place.

  I dozed off… standing…

  She glanced down. Her hands were clamped around the grips of the medical cot. She forced h
erself to let go and appraised the occupant.

  Dharr’s eyes were closed, but he grimaced and stirred restlessly. His right hand whipped free of the silver blanket covering him and knocked the oxygen mask from his face. Alyssa grasped his arm and gently pushed it down then adjusted the mask over his mouth and nose. She pressed her palm to his forehead. His gray reptilian scales were cool under her touch, and his breathing seemed less labored than when he and Heru-pa first stormed aboard the plane after Nephthys’s attack.

  The attack that had turned the Rathadi home into a raging inferno.

  The attack that killed Horus.

  Alyssa shuddered as the memories threatened to surface. She forced them down.

  Not now.

  Not yet.